This checklist is designed to be used when reviewing Quality Management Plans prepared according to EPA QA/R-2 EPA Requirements for Quality Management Plans. While the primary purpose of this checklist is for internal agency review and approval of Quality Management Plans, outside parties that need to prepare Quality Management Plans may find this checklist useful. Some of the checklist items may need to be adapted, when reviewing Quality Management Plans prepared by outside parties.

QA/G-5M adapts the current EPA QA/G-5 for modeling projects emphasizing applicable QA Project Plan elements for example, assessment of acquired data and software/hardware configuration testing. Issues such as regulatory task focused systematic planning and the use of the graded approach to match model complexity to the need for evaluation and testing are also addressed.

General guidance to organizations on assessing data quality criteria and performance specifications for decision making. G-9R is non-technical document and shows a reviewer what constitutes an appropriate Data Quality Assessment (DQA), and how to recognize situations or reports where a DQA has been conducted.

QA/G-9D is a software package that implements the statistical methods described in QA/G-9. DataQUEST provides a quick and easy means for managers, analysts, or those unfamiliar with standard statistical packages to review data and verify assumptions on those data.

Final Version: EPA/600/R-96/085, December 1997

Note: this document is no longer available. For links to other free software for performing data quality assessments, see Quality Related Resources - Software. EPA has a SAS site license for EPA employees - for information, email: <quality@epa.gov>

QA/G-4 provides non-mandatory guidance on developing Data Quality Objectives (DQOs) using a systematic planning process based on the graded approach. The guidance presents a step-by-step description of the DQO process. The Aug 2000 version supercedes the Sept 1994 version.

QA/G-5i will provide guidance on data quality indicators (DQIs), including the PARRC parameters (i.e., precision, accuracy, reproducibility, representativeness, and comparability) and how they fit into the implementation of the DQO process. The guidance discusses the role of DQIs in sampling and analytical measurements.

Peer review of this document is complete. A final version has been drafted but has not been released as yet. Target date: Unknown.

The introduction to the document provides an overview for the target audience emphasizing the importance of systematic planning for geospatial data projects and its relationship to the Agency’s Quality System. The second chapter delineates the EPA policies on QA Project Plans. The third chapter discusses how QA Project Plan elements can be applied to geospatial data projects. The fourth chapter describes approaches to QA Project Plan elements for a geospatial module portion of a complex multi-organization project in risk assessment modeling as well as less complicated projects for a routine global positioning survey and creating a cartographic product from a spreadsheet to illustrate application of the graded approach discussed in Chapter 1.

This document contains Standard Operating Procedures used by EPA Region 4 for sample collection and other field activities. This document may be useful to others, as example Standard Operating Procedures for similar activities. Any organization that uses these Standard Operating Procedures assumes responsibility for their content and applicability to their specific situation.